No wonder my sense of time is so screwed up of late. In the
past two weeks I've watched Christmas episodes of TBAA and Tour of Duty, Thanksgiving
episodes of the latter and Friday
Night Lights, and now New Year's with TBAA. Somehow
in all that, I woke up this morning thinking I should get going
with Halloween decorating...

What I love about this
episode:
Monica referring to Andrew spilling water on Angela as an
"unscheduled baptism" was funny.

Yay for literacy! I try to cram literary and other cultural
references into JABB whenever I can so I really love it when TBAA
does it. This episode is a great plug for Walt Whitman ("Oh!
To be alive in such an age!")! And Edna St. Vincent Millay
("Travel"). And then William Ernest Henley ("Invictus")
later on!

Well, the boy might not be one of many words at all times
including some times when more talking would be good but I gotta
appreciate Andrew's succinct answer that humans dream about being
awake. Can't say I've ever dreamed of anything else.

Along those lines, I also agree with Andrew that we're at our most
honest in dreams. And Monica suggesting that's why we don't
remember them was interesting for me. It makes sense but
I've never thought about that connection.

"Life is a mystery that we can only understand in part because we
live on only one side of the mirror. It's not until life is
over and the mirror is taken away that it all becomes
clear." Cool quote from Monica during her revelation to
Angela. Lately I've been on a "we can't see the whole
picture" kick.

The reunion chokes me up. Especially the close up of
Carl. So sweet. It makes me wonder how often Carl came
back even after the box was dug up.
Perching. I love it when the angels perched! Why did
they stop in the last seasons, it seems? I think TBAA lost
some of its playfulness towards the end but I'm glad it remained
here! Also, that lil bit has Monica reciting what I think
may be my favorite verse of "Amazing Grace."

What I didn't love about
this episode:I'm not into the whole degradation spirituality
thing. So Monica's "What are we that You should notice us?"
strikes the wrong note with me. We're creations of
God. If we're so insignificant, that reflects badly on
Him. Obviously, He thinks we're as amazing as the stars else
why would He have bothered?

This is not at all the fault of anyone behind this episode but I
thought it was kinda upsetting when Monica talked about how the
millennium can be traumatic. I know she was just speaking to
Angela's personal situation but I couldn't help but think how
traumatic the millennium became. Sometimes it's weird
watching the pre- September 2001 TBAAs or really any shows.

Umm... I love Andrew but doesn't he look a lil zoned out to be
driving? He's leaning on the window with only one hand on
the steering wheel. Yikes. Is that normal? (I
don't drive.)

I'm not sure I'm crazy about the "rewind" at the end of this
episode. It kinda reminded me of The Shack in a way
with Angela's old home just materializing so she could make
peace. I would have preferred if they kept that aspect but
didn't mess with the time line. I mean, yeah, I get that
Monica and Tess had that whole discussion about God and
time. But Angela chose to ditch Nick, leaving him to worry
and alone. She never had to deal with the
consequences. So basically she chose to toss aside someone's
feelings then got a free pass. That's not real life.
At least it shouldn't be IMO. Why couldn't they have had her
leave, do the whole mystical reappearance of the house, then go
back, track Nick down, apologize, explain, and build from
there? As it is, it looks like God covered up for Angela's
irresponsibility. And it also makes a person think that
without divine "magic," they can't achieve closure.

It seemed a lil too much like "Jagged Edges."Lingering questions:Am I the only one who would be totally weirded out by
Monica at the start of this episode? First, the whole
bathroom attendant thing just
makes me feel weird. I just prefer to tend to myself.
So it would really bother me to have someone else drying off my
dress. Unless I knew them. And the way she seems to
read Angela would also creep me out.

Would you seriously go on a road trip with two people you just
met? I just find Angela's willingness to do that a lil
unbelievable. I can just imagine what my nearest and dearest
would say if I came out with "Just met this guy about fifteen
minutes ago and this girl right after and so now they're driving
me to Idaho!" Right... A wicked part of me wants to
put Andrew's "it's good to do something crazy and spontaneous!"
stance to the test in a story by having one of the girls tell him
that. Something tells me his reaction wouldn't be
"Awesome! Have a great time with your two new friends who
are transporting you across state lines!"

So where were the letters between the box being dug up and
2000? God's storage?

Parts that made me feel
swoony:
Andrew wasn't even in this scene but I totally thought of him when
Nick said how swans are dangerous if threatened. Cause in
Dyeland there's this whole swan symbolism thing leading to one of
Andrew's nicknames being Swan Boat. Anyhow, so then it
prompted images of Andrew being dangerous... but only if loved
ones were threatened. Yeah, I know that sounds weird but I
had a nightmare last night so imagining that makes me feel better!

Andrew in a tux... I actually don't love that look as much
as the more casual outfits but he's so darn cute in the tux,
anyhow. And totally adorable being all apologetic.

Angela's so lucky being able to dance with Andrew...
Apparently, I decided to distract myself from my jealousy by
riffing on her comment that he should want to dance with someone
his own age. I came up with "He can't. It's a little
difficult to dance with protozoa," and "That'd be nice. But
the Smithsonian gets a little upset if you try to take one of
their mummies to a dance." :-) I'd dance with him even
if he may, in fact, be older than dirt.

For the record, if I ever do have a boyfriend and Andrew shows up:
the boyfriend should not suggest Andrew take me out on the dance
floor unless he's trying to break up with me. Cause I ain't
coming back. Just kidding. Presumably I would care
about the boyfriend and wouldn't do that. But it'd be one
heckuvan emotionally loaded moment.

I love that Andrew believes in doing something crazy every 100
years or so. And now I would like a list of all the crazy
stuff he's done. I'm waiting... Maybe he flew on a
pterodactyl or rode one of the bulls on Noah's ark.

Okay, the tux with no tie look is stunning.

Hee! I love the exchange between Andrew and Tess about
whether the former put gas in the car. And then when he gets
all up in her face! Priceless! I miss that
guy... He went away in the last couple seasons...

Andrew drinks tea! Yay. I'm pretty sure he's drunk tea
in Dyeland but now I have it documented that according to TBAA he
really does.

Hey... so I'm not super crazy about Andrew using the words "dig my
grave." I understand he was just reading the letters but...
::shivers:: But he was sweet reading them.

Random thoughts:Music: You can
hear big band music a lot at the beginning. The second
number especially, when Angela meets up with her almost-fiance,
was extremely familiar but I just can't place it. Ooh.
I think it's "In the Mood."

This made me want to watch Newsies... Ann-Margaret is in
that. So it's not as random as it seems!

Whilst watching this, I got to thinking a time capsule would be an
excellent idea for whenever I do the Dyeland finale. I kinda
have it in my head that I want to start way into the future then
just do lil vignettes covering what happened over decades.
Andrew digging up a time capsule would be the perfect frame!

So younger Carl looked really familiar to me. But looking at
the actor's, James Calvert, filmography... I don't really see a
reason why. I sincerely hope I don't still have Beverly Hills, 90210 episodes
locked somewhere in my memory cause apparently he did an episode
of that.

Tess could have let Monica have instant coffee. You still
need to use a kettle. Just saying...

Scenes Hallmark cut:
-Wow... they cut all of 2 seconds at the end of the scene where
Angela remembers her promise. The THC version ends the
segment on Andrew. The CBS version ends with another glimpse
of Angela. I only noticed because I remembered feeling
nervous about THC ending with him because sometimes my DVD
recorder starts a chapter a lil early so whatever is at the very
end of a segment may get cut.

-Shortly after Angela awakes in the car, she starts pointing out
various monuments and places she recalls from her childhood.
Then she briefly gives Andrew directions. THC cuts this
entirely, skipping right from Andrew saying she's home to them
arriving at the B and B.

-While in both versions we see Tess offer to let Angela poke
around the attic, THC cuts her actually doing so. While
looking around, Angela seems to hear her younger self
giggling. She approaches a cracked mirror and flashes back
to her child-self standing in
front of it pretending to be a bride. Her dad approaches and
asks who she's marrying and she says him. Which apparently
is a normal kid thing to do. I wanted to marry Scarecrow
from the The Wizard of
Oz so apparently skipped that Electral phase. What
can I say? I've always had a thing for flannel.
Anyhow, that scene goes into...

-Monica and Andrew walk up to Angela as she sits on the
porch. Andrew puts down the shovel he's carrying and
suggests she may wanna get started because it's already noon and
not gonna get any warmer. Angela says she wants to
wait. Andrew asks if she wants to wait for Tess.
Angela responds that, no, she wants to wait for her father.
The next segment starts with Angela and her dad filling the box
which is where THC starts back up again.

-They cut another two seconds! After Angela discovers the
letters, THC ends with Monica's reaction shot. CBS ends with
another of Angela's after Monica's.

-The next scene begins with Angela going through the letters and
reading the addressees: "Angela 1956, Angela 1957, Angela 1958"
and then exclaiming that her father *did* come back for her.
THC cuts the addressee reading.

Further on down the road...I'm doing two in one week again. I'd just really like to
start next weekend with an episode that I haven't recently
seen.

I really like Tess' thread metaphor. But I'm still a bit
confused as she seems to suggest only God sees time as the ball of
thread which means the angels must see time linearly. But
then as the conversation progresses, she and Monica make it sound
like the linear view is only for our benefit. Hmm...
Well, personally I think angels live linearly, too, with only God
having a full view of time (though I don't rule out the
possibility that He gifts someone with a glimpse of the past or
future). I'm not sure, though, about what humans and angels
in Heaven experience as far as whether time is a straight thread
or a ball. I do think even then, though, only God has a full
view.

Swans are so pretty. And there's my random remark for the
morning... Also random: I think this is the first time I've
watched TBAA without drinking tea or coffee at the same
time. We'll see if that lasts... Considering tea
actually makes an appearance in this episode, I doubt it.

Once again, I'm left to feel like I maybe wouldn't be totally
comfortable with Andrew's driving here. Ha. He looks
adorable but one-handed driving on a winter night with a guy
appearing to be wearied enough that he's leaning into the car
door... Yikes.

So I wonder if these stores and such that Angela sees on the drive
in were still there in the present or if they were part of the time shifting, too?

Even though Tess' mood grates on me, I *love* Andrew getting in
her face.

Yep, the minute I saw their tea kettle I realized I was cold and
needed tea, too. Yay for the Pause button. For the
record, I'm still annoyed that Tess didn't ask "Monica, Andrew,
would you like tea?"

There's one card Andrew reads that is really hard to hear John Dye
recite these days. Every time, even when I've gotten
distracted, my breath catches in my throat for just a
moment. But then I'm fine.

That would be so bizarre to realize you spent a night at a place
that then isn't there. Wow. Trippy. But
cool. Very cool. I've read supposedly real stories
about things like this. Stranded travelers share a meal at a
house that later can't be found. Someone is helped out by an
apartment tenant whose apartment is later discovered to have been
empty for months... Awesome. Sometimes the people
think they were aided by ghosts (I'd say spirits) and others by
angels. Either way... God does some pretty amazing
things.

Even though I'm now cool with the time shifting, I am still
bothered by the fact that Angela thoughtlessly left Nick with no
explanation and then didn't have to face that. True she
didn't really. But she thought she did and made that
choice. Seems morally iffy.